Corporate groups, mergers, incorporations: we have to protect workers’ dignity and rights!

This resolution intends to emphasise the urgent need of looking for new European rules in the field of economy, above all concerning the organisation of European businesses and companies. Globalisation has caused a deep restructuration of business context and production systems: companies change, get bigger or smaller, they merge, get incorporated, or they give up part of their activities. This often happens at workers’ and their rights’ expense. Due to the current financial crisis, this situation is deteriorating everywhere in Europe. There is an obvious lack of legislative measures regulating these structural changes at European level.

Considering:

- the numerous global challenges – particularly monetary balance and stability, reform of institutions and financial markets, sustainable development, fight against poverty, lack of job security, protection of human rights – with which European citizens have to face, however without having real European tools and answers;

- the huge impact of globalisation on economy and communication systems, which is a process in constant transition and which has determined, notably during the last ten years, important changes in economic and production systems in Europe;

- that these changes, which are often supported by national laws, have weakened the labour protection system in merger, incorporation and restructuration processes of European companies;

The Union of European Federalists:

- underlines that this situation is due to the lack of a real democratic government over economy in Europe, which would have real powers, common to a European federation;

- reaffirms the urgent necessity to have a European government which could defend the common interests of European citizens and which would face, in a transparent and efficient way, today’s and tomorrow’s challenges in several fields, included in economic and social fields. Without a European government, discriminations will increase more and more, and Europe won’t be able to speak about democracy and rights on the international scene;

- invites European institutions, particularly the European parliament, to play its full legislative role in the European Community business law, by analysing business development, markets’ control and territorial development policies in order to protect workers’ dignity and to reaffirm their legitimate right to decide their destiny with companies;

- invites the European parliament to define safe, transparent and common rules for the labour market, so that the respect of profit logic and of workers and customers can be guaranteed;

- underlines the importance of protecting workers’ dignity, rights and conquests, and asks the Federal Committee of the UEF as well as its executive Bureau to address the new European parliament – which will be elected in June 2009 – with a text containing the main reflexions of this resolution;

- reaffirms the urgent necessity to relaunch the European integration process at all levels, with the objective of an economic, but also social, political and federal Europe.